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Meaning & use

crowd control

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈkraʊd kənˌtrəʊl/
US/ˈkraʊd kənˌtroʊl/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    the act of keeping a large group of people safe, calm, and under control, especially at events or protests

    Grammar: No plural and no 'a'; say 'crowd control was difficult', not 'a crowd control'.

    Patterns

    • crowd control at something
    • used for crowd control
    • trained in crowd control

    The concert organizers hired extra staff for crowd control at the gates.

    Police said crowd control became harder when the march reached the square.

    Good crowd control kept the fans moving safely toward the exits.

  2. noununcountable

    equipment or methods, such as barriers or tear gas, used to manage large groups of people

    Grammar: Often used before another noun: crowd control barriers, crowd control measures.

    Patterns

    • crowd control equipment
    • crowd control measures
    • crowd control barriers

    Officers put up crowd control barriers along the parade route.

    The stadium invested in better crowd control equipment after last year's incident.

    Some countries ban certain crowd control methods at public gatherings.

Common combinations

crowd control barriers
Metal crowd control barriers lined both sides of the street.
crowd control measures
The city introduced new crowd control measures for the festival.
crowd control equipment
The force spent millions on crowd control equipment.
used for crowd control
Water cannon are sometimes used for crowd control.
crowd control officer
A crowd control officer directed us to the correct entrance.

Synonyms and how they differ

policing
Policing is broader and refers to the whole job of keeping order, while crowd control is only about managing large groups.
security
Security focuses on protecting people or property from threats; crowd control focuses on managing movement and behavior in a crowd.

Word family

crowd noun
a large group of people gathered in one place
control noun
the power to direct or manage something

Commonly confused: crowd control or crowd surfer?

crowd control vs crowd surfer

A crowd surfer is a person carried over the heads of a crowd at a concert; crowd control is the management of the crowd itself.

Practice

The festival needed more staff for ______ after the main act finished.

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